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Amtrak Railfan

OBS Chief
Joined
Jul 3, 2003
Messages
868
I will play with my Amtrak Train soon if I have time I will play the Lake Shore Limited Train to New York Penn Station with P32AC-DM #717 with Heritage Baggage Car, Dorm Lounge Car, one Viewliner Sleeper, a Dining Car,Amfleet Lounge Car with two or three Amfleet Coach Cars and with two Amtrak Express Cars and a Roadrailer with the train runing on time. :D
 
What scale is your layout? Well hate to burst your bubble, but if ya wanna be completely accurate, dont couple the roadrailer and express cars up to the end. The New York section never ran with any mail cars what so ever and now the once mail heavy Boston section runs without! What brand P32-DM is that?
 
Amtrak Railfan probably re-numbered an Athearn Genisis locomotive with Microscale decals so it became a P-32AC-DC, correct me if I'm wrong. Currently, no manufacturer produces a P-32AC-DC model. W

althers Trainline does have a Dash-9 in Amtrak Phase III and IV to look like a P-32-8, but it is not an actual replica. Atlas, came out with some really nice Dash-8 locomitves in Phase III, IV, and California scheme. Atlas's model is still not an actual replica of the P-32-8, but it is much closer and more detailed than Walthers.

Just a modelers tip, I have been very happy with locomotives by Atlas and Athearn, but Walthers left a lot to be desired.
 
Im not 100 percent sure, but I think Overland may make a P32AC-DM, I think I remember seeing one on Ebay. Overlands are beautiful, but incredibly expensive, I like my Athearn Genesis units just fine, they run great :D ! I didnt like Walthers Dash-9 Amtraker, it just looks quite toy like. Their F40PHs are pretty nice I think, though they dont have the detailing of the Spectrum units, they have better looking stripes and are at a more prototypical height, the Spectrum units are way too short. The Spectrum and Walthers units both run beautifully, so doesnt the Athearn P40. My latest Amtraker, the Amtrak California #2001 F59PHI (the real 2001 just got wrecked!!) from Athearn runs like a dream too. Ive never owned an Atlas unit, but Ive heard nothing but praise for them (all my track is Atlas though). Walthers detail could be much better, but they run great (at least the one I have does). Their Amtrak Passenger cars though, still rein supreme though with me. My favorite locos though come from Athearn, just all around nice units.
 
Amfleet said:
I have 3 Atlas AEM-7s and those things fly around the track and one unit can pull 8 Amfleets with ease.
Wait :eek: , I thought you had model trains, not planes. There's no flying in trains. :lol: :D
 
AlanB said:
Amfleet said:
I have 3 Atlas AEM-7s and those things fly around the track and one unit can pull 8 Amfleets with ease.
Wait :eek: , I thought you had model trains, not planes. There's no flying in trains. :lol: :D
Seems like those little green aliens are at it again, this time making trains fly. Weren't they in the dining car a couple of days ago morphing steaks into pork chops and rice into potatos. :lol:
 
I gotta give my dear Athearn P40 803 credit though, it hauls my 15 car combined Lake Shore Limited around by its self quite well, though it slips once in a while on the hill portion, it still can get em up to scale 79 MPH with relitive ease. She hasnt run for a while though, too much work on the new layout :(
 
P40Power said:
I gotta give my dear Athearn P40 803 credit though, it hauls my 15 car combined Lake Shore Limited around by its self quite well, though it slips once in a while on the hill portion, it still can get em up to scale 79 MPH with relitive ease. She hasnt run for a while though, too much work on the new layout :(
79 MPH over the Berkshires. Your kidding right? <_<
 
HAHA ohhh NOOO not over the berkshires, I open it up to 79 after we get out of Albany headed west! its 50 max over the berkshires on my layout, which I think it is in real life as well :p
 
P40Power said:
I gotta give my dear Athearn P40 803 credit though, it hauls my 15 car combined Lake Shore Limited around by its self quite well, though it slips once in a while on the hill portion, it still can get em up to scale 79 MPH with relitive ease.  She hasnt run for a while though, too much work on the new layout :(
I had that engine...had being the key word. About a month ago I purchased one of the new Athearn p42-phase V models and the lights would work, but no movement. I took off the body shell and found that the engine would not operate. I even checked all of electrical pick-ups. I took it into the local hobby shop with no avail. So I ended up bringing it home and did alot of work. I changed the engine parts out with the p40 and now it works fine. Kind of dissapointing I had to sacrafice the good ol' p40. Still looks great though, :) ...and I can always switch them back if needed :rolleyes:

1060706101499_P5120120.JPG
 
Wow P42 that is a beautiful P42!! I love it! I think it looks better then the real thing :p But ya never know your P40 might have to return someday if a model truck gets in the way of that beast at 79MPH :lol: , I hope not though, it would be a shame to have a sweet lookin unit like that get wrecked . . .I might have to get a phase V unit for myself sometime . . .do they still make em? I remember them being a limited run deal or something. I had the same problem with an Athearn SD40-2, the thing would sit there with the lights on and make a slight humming, but if ya pushed it a ways it would start going un like your P42, but it still wouldnt pull worth crap. . its the only Athearn unit I ever had trouble with except for a rubber band drive one cuz the rubber bands always slipped on it.
 
I certainly hope she does not get in a reck, lol. I do have some pretty big 18 wheelers on the roads now days, so I will just have to keep a close watch on them :p . But anyways, Athearn is coming out with a "second run" of these engines. They were very popular but also very limited like you said. You can pre-order this october delievery here.
 
Ohh Cool, I will have to put one of those Shamus :lol: on my Christmas list, hopefully there will still be enough of them around, Id imagine there would be. Ive noticed on the Walther's website they seem to be phasing out their original fleet of Genesis units like the 803 and 32 and stuff, maybe they are comming out with new numbers or something?
 
P40Power said:
Ohh Cool, I will have to put one of those Shamus :lol: on my Christmas list, hopefully there will still be enough of them around, Id imagine there would be. Ive noticed on the Walther's website they seem to be phasing out their original fleet of Genesis units like the 803 and 32 and stuff, maybe they are comming out with new numbers or something?
I believe they are. I will see if I can find the numbers. I know 123 is one of them.
 
P40Power said:
Ohh Cool, I will have to put one of those Shamus :lol: on my Christmas list, hopefully there will still be enough of them around, Id imagine there would be. Ive noticed on the Walther's website they seem to be phasing out their original fleet of Genesis units like the 803 and 32 and stuff, maybe they are comming out with new numbers or something?
Athearn's P-40/P-42 units have been on the market for almost 5 years and many manufaturers will scale down production and sell what's made before starting production again. They may also stop the production all together and redesign the product. Rarely will a manufacturer stop production after 5 years unless there is absolutely no demand.

As for the Phase V P-42s, #134 and #203 are the third production of the models. I would expect new numbers around Christmas time, but order early because they sell fast!
 
They have been on the Market for almost 6 years now, I got my 803, one of the first ones produced Christmas 97, my mom said she had one hell of a time getting that unit for me because all shops around didnt expect them until Feburary or so. By the time I got dummy P42 #32 in August 98, they were all over the place. I agree though with Athearns decision to take them out of service and maybe add better detals and new numbers and paints to them (Though Athearn did an EXCELLENT job with its Genesis units in the first place I think).
 
The Governor sure looks nice, I'm getting one shamu (184) for my birthday (a little more than two weeks away), and ordered #204 for October.
 
Viewliner said:
The Governor sure looks nice, I'm getting one shamu (184) for my birthday (a little more than two weeks away), and ordered #204 for October.
Did you reserve yours online, or did do you have a local hobby shop holding it for you. Im asking because if you planned on reserving it online, I might be able to find an extra Walthers catologue with a "priority code" on it, if you dont already have one. It can help "bump you up" on the reserve list. :D
 
I gotta get one of those huge 900+ Page Walthers catalogs, Though I could always go online to browse through Walthers awesome selection, I always like browsing through the catalog, kinda the same deal with Amtrak schedules, If I needed to I could always look em up online but I prefer having actual paper timetables, easier to browse through I think. I have an Walthers Catalog, but its one from 94 and has bout 200 of its pages missing . . .I think its time for an update! :p
 
Thats a good method Amfleet! I might start doing that. I think my next purchase equipment wise might be one of those sweet Walther's Heritage diners. I could use a good dining car, my old Athearn car is looking a bit rough (My first Amtrak car ever, got back back in 91 or so right when I was getting into trains after my first trip by train) and I have a model power unit, which is suprisingly good looking for a model power, but it doesnt stay on the rails worth crap <_<
 
P40Power said:
I could use a good dining car, my old Athearn car is looking a bit rough (My first Amtrak car ever, got back back in 91 or so right when I was getting into trains after my first trip by train) and I have a model power unit, which is suprisingly good looking for a model power, but it doesnt stay on the rails worth crap <_<
Well then buy a track geometry car and make sure that your rails are properly aligned. :lol: :D :)
 
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